“We cannot do all in 2018 that should have been done in 1940, but justice and historic truth demand that questions about the cause of Elbert Williams’ death, and the identity of his killer(s), that should have been answered long ago, be answered now if possible,” Brown said.

Williams, 32, was part of a group registering Black voters in rural Tennessee. White men, led by police Officer Tip Hunter, abducted Williams from his home after they caught wind that he planned to host an NAACP meeting at his residence. Three days later, Williams’ body was found with three bullet holes in the Hatchie River.

Local investigators failed to charge anyone for the slaying, and the Department of Justice suddenly decided to close the case in 1942 after it ordered a federal grand jury hearing. The federal government turned its back on the case even though Thurgood Marshall, then a special counsel to the NAACP, gathered evidence.

Fast forward to 2017, when federal authorities declined to reopen the case at the request of Williams’ relatives and attorney Jim Emison, who believes after doing tons of research that a few witnesses or perpetrators could still be alive. The DOJ cited the age of the case and expiration of the statute of limitations for a federal crime.

Tennessee, however, has no time limit on first-degree murder charges. What’s more, the case comes under the state’s new Civil Rights Crimes Cold Case Law, which mandates an examination of unsolved civil rights crimes.

3.

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In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, I want to share some of the Black men and women who blazed trails in the justice system and are personal heroes of mine. Thurgood Marshall was the first Black US Supreme Court Justice, and I read this quote when I was inaugurated. —KF pic.twitter.com/6kgRwmMoNo

9. And Arguably His Most Profound Words...

10 Life-Changing Quotes From Thurgood Marshall

On this day in 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first Black Supreme Court Justice. He filled the seat of retiring Justice Tom Clark, and President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated him. Sixty-nine senators voted to confirm the Baltimore native and 11 were opposed.
Marshall was on the court for 24 years and retired in 1991. Sadly, the deeply conservative and anti-Black Clarence Thomas was nominated for his seat.
Marshall passed away on January 24, 1993 at the age of 84. Check out some of his most powerful quotes.